Hearts as Fragile as Glass
by BlueBoulder
Summary: [HighSchool AU] Yuuri had never really spoken to Viktor before his junior year at Saint Petersburg's. However, when they both sign up for the Ice-Skating club, everything seems to change... [CURRENTLY ON HIATUS]
1. Chapter 1

**Hearts Fragile as Glass**

 **Introduction + Chapter 1**

 _Quick A/N:_

 _Hi, thanks for clicking on the story! You can obviously skip past this part (as that's what I always do.) I'll just say a few things if you want to read them. First, I don't know how long this will be. I probably won't have a schedule, but I'll try to update at least once a week. Hopefully that's okay! Second, character ages will have to change a bit to fit the AU. I hope you don't mind! And lastly, if you like Viktor's name with a 'c', sorry! I don't have a preference actually, but I chose with a 'k' because it's how his name is listed when you choose characters, and the same goes for Yuuri (even though I strongly prefer the double 'u's.). Okay, that's all, I hope you enjoy!_

 **Disclaimer:** I obviously don't own Yuri! on Ice. You know that.

 **Introduction**

Yuuri sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. He wasn't sure how long he had been staring, but for some reason didn't have the will to check. His mind was somewhere back in Hasetsu, drifting to old memories with Mari, his sister, Yuuko, his best friend, and Vicchan, his precious pet poodle who he already missed, despite it being less than a week since seeing him last.

It was Yuuri's second year at Saint Petersburg, a Russian boarding school he first attended in his sophomore year. Even though he had been through months of life there already, it was always hard to him to get back to life away from his family's Hot Springs bathhouse. Sure, he had a decent amount of friends, but home was still home-

He jolted out of his trance-like state as his roommate threw a pillow at him. He could feel his face heating up already. "Phichit—"

Yuuri was cut off by his roommate's laughter. "You really need to stop staring at the wall. Do you miss your _ballet_ posters being there?" Phichit smiled as he walked over to his embarrassed friend.

"No…! Besides, if I did, there'd be no space because of your totally-not-overdone-amount of hamster photos." He looked over to Phichit's corkscrew board with an insane amount of Polaroid photos tacked up with his pets.

"At least I own up to my obsessions."

Yuuri could feel his face going red again. "It's not -it _wasn't_ \- an _obsession_!"

"Whatever you say." Phichit laughed, before walking into the bathroom. He quickly called out, "Don't fall back into your trances by the time I get out, or I won't wake you up this time!"

Yuuri groaned in response, and began to get ready for the last day before his junior year of school.

* * *

Despite the numerous perks that came with having his dorm to himself, Viktor Nikiforov hated the loneliness that came with it. The last time he'd had someone else in his dorm was freshman year, and ended within two months of school starting when his old roommate Christophe got them both incredibly drunk one fateful Saturday night from Chris' secret alcohol collection he brought with him. Chris was suspended, while Viktor was only given a week's detention, thanks to his family's vast contributions to the school dating back generations.

Since then, Viktor was on his own when it came to dorm rooms. At first it seemed like a blessing, considering that he wouldn't have to see Chris naked at 3am singing about god-knows-what, but it soon came to feel like a curse. He often found himself staying in his friend's dorms hours past curfew to not be bored by himself, or just falling asleep at eight to just get the night over with.

It was weird to him, how he was already a senior. It felt as if he was still a freshman, getting used to the halls of the large school with his friends, everything a curiosity waiting to be unfolded. Viktor knew every detail of the school by then, of course, from the amount of dorm rooms down to the statutes lining the lavish hallways of the school, but preferred to think as if he was rediscovering every single marvel the school held.

Little to Viktor's knowledge, there was still a marvel he had yet to go after, and even less did he know that the curiosity would strike him again that very day.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Hey, Vikki! Wait up, won't you?" Viktor turned around in surprise to Christophe running after him.

"I don't think I will, _Chrissie._ " He retorted, speeding up his pace. He could hear his friend panting to keep up, and only laughed when Chris finally caught up to him.

"Not fair! You know I have no energy in the mornings."

"Oops." Viktor said, holding out the 's' sound. Chris rolled his eyes.

"So, Vikki-" Chris was cut off by Viktor kicking him on the shins, and corrected himself, " _Viktor_ , where are you headed to? Classes don't start until tomorrow, so there can't _possibly_ be anything that _everyone_ would want to go to at this time of the morning, _is there_?"

His friend looked at him with annoyance. As they stopped in front of the steps leading to the dormitory common room (which took up half of the bottom floor of the dorms), he only glared at his friend.

After a long moment of silence, Viktor muttered, "Why do you think?"

"Ah. Club sign ups. Silly me…" He answered, looking off in the distance as if he was an innocent child, before saying, "Funny, that's where I'm headed too!"

With clear annoyance, Viktor said, "Your humor hasn't gotten any better in four years, you know that?" Chris only nodded, slightly smug that he still was able to make his friend annoyed so easily.

By the time that they finally reached the club sign-up meeting, all of the speeches done by the heads of the clubs were finished, and students began to congregate as they roamed around the stations. Viktor wasn't surprised that Chris was already gone amid the crowd of students, and began to look on his own for what he might be interested in.

After being pulled aside by a few other students wanting to talk to him about their summers and what-not, Viktor finally found the clubs he had been instructed to find. He signed up for the Student Council, as he had every year, and also wrote his name down on the School Improvement club. His parents often told him that, as the only Nikiforov to be attending this generation, he needed to go above and beyond to be the star student of Saint Petersburg's. _As a Nikiforov, you are to make us proud._

He sighed, ready to return back to his room. None of the other clubs were sophisticated, as his parents wanted him to be. But what was the fun in that? He walked around the stations, looking for something to catch his eye. It wasn't long until he found something.

 ** _Ice-Skating Club!_** The sign read. With a smile, Viktor approached the teacher in charge.

"Hello, Professor Yakov!" He said cheerfully, "I didn't know we had a skating club."

* * *

Yuuri glanced around at the clubs being offered, not sure what to choose. As soon as he turned the corner, he felt himself being pulled by the arm to a station nearby. Panicked, he looked up to see none other than his old Ballet teacher.

"Minako-sensei?" He gasped, confused.

"I didn't mean to worry you, Yuuri, but since you didn't sign up last year, I didn't want you to forget this year, either."

Yuuri groaned. He hadn't forgotten, of course, he was just trying to put ballet behind him. "It's embarrassing." He said, quietly.

"Oh, hush. I can tell you're already getting out of shape. At least tell me you signed up for the new Ice-Skating club! I don't want you to _completely_ ignore the beauty of dance." Minako said all at once.

"Ice-skating club? Minako-sensei, I haven't skated since I was 12!"

His old teacher only shook her head before grabbing his arm again and bringing him towards the sign-up sheet. "Sign." His face now a bright shade of pink, Yuuri quickly signed before running away.

For some reason, the idea of getting back on ice kept nagging at him in the back of his brain. He had been fascinated with it as a kid, but his love for the sport seemed to decay during his first year of high school. All of the boys told him ice skating was stupid, and girly. Yuuri didn't want to be stupid and girly.

As he approached the station he had been looking for, he quickly went to the sign-up sheet. Professor Yakov was talking to another student as he walked over, and not wanting to bother him, decided to talk with him later. (Everyone seemed to talk with the teachers when signing up, as it seemed like the polite thing to do. Yuuri had no intention to do otherwise.)

As he reached to write down his name, he felt his hand brush against someone else's who was going to do the same thing. Despite the fact that he felt like pulling his hand away and dashing for the nearest corner, Yuuri found himself unable to move his hand. Neither, it seemed, did the other person there.

He looked up in embarrassment so he could see who it was he had made contact with, and found himself looking eye-to-eye with none other than the most well-known boy in school, Viktor Nikiforov. The senior was staring down back at him with a smile, and his watery-blue eyes and shiny silver hair. Yuuri didn't really realize he was staring at him until the older boy spoke.

"You can sign first, I'll wait." He said, somewhat cheerfully. He moved his hand away and motioned for Yuuri to write his name down.

"Uh, thanks." He said, feeling… weird. His hand felt a bit cold where Viktor's hand had touched his, and it seemed to stay that way for a good few seconds. For some reason he could feel his face burning again, except different from when Minako-sensei dragged him to her station. There was no way he could explain it, was there?

With his name quickly scrawled on the paper, Yuuri dashed away in embarrassment, not even sure what he was doing. He didn't notice Viktor looking back at him as he ran away, with a look of both curiosity and entertainment he hadn't had in years.

"Yuuri Katsuki." He said to himself, quietly. "Yuuri Katsuki."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _Sorry that the last chapter was kinda short! I'll be aiming for at least 2,000 words each chapter from now on. Anyway, if you like the story, feel free to leave a review! It'll be greatly appreciated, thanks!_

 **Chapter 2**

Not many people were out of their dorms after eight, and that was something Yuuri counted on. The lights were out in the halls, except for only the occasional lamp being on in case of an emergency. It was tranquil, and calming for his senses.

He checked his watch which told him it was 8:47. With curfew being at nine, he sighed. There wasn't much time left to himself. He rounded a corner to the sitting room on floor 3 to go back to his dorm, but was surprised to hear faint laughter.

"Mila, what the hell- put me down!" Someone yelled.

"Such _language_ for a freshman!" A girl joked, probably Mila. "You know, you should respect your elders."

A calmer voice seemed to quiet both of the people arguing. "Now, now, why don't we all get along? It's much more enjoyable that way, don't you think?"

As little as Yuuri liked to admit it, the voice was much more tranquil and kind sounding than the silence of the halls. But he'd heard that voice somewhere already, hadn't he? Whose voice was it…? He racked his brain, but could find nothing.

"It's not my fault old man! Tell this bitch that I have boundaries!" Said the voice of the freshman, practically screaming.

" _Yuri._ " Said the voice he didn't know. Yuuri felt his heart jump. He couldn't be talking about him, could he? Of course not. He tried to remember if there was anyone else named Yuuri at their school. Maybe it was the freshman? He hoped it was the freshman.

The younger boy's voice confirmed his hopes. "Don't talk to me like that. I'm not a kid."

"A kid? Why would I ever say such a thing as that to you? After all, you're already a freshman." Said the voice, sounding sarcastically surprised.

"Don't patronize me Viktor, or I swear-" Said the other Yuri.

 _Viktor_! Yuuri's heart jumped again. Of course it had to be Viktor's. He was already embarrassed from earlier, but imagine if he saw Yuuri roaming the halls like a maniac? There was only one thing to do: Look down and walk as fast as possible.

He started to speed walk down the hall that Viktor and his friends were talking in, trying to face away, but caved and look to his side for a quick moment. Of course, that had to be the same moment Viktor looked over.

The senior smiled at him and waved, saying "Hello Yuuri!"

Mortified, Yuuri continued to walk by, keeping his head down and his eyes away. When he had nearly reached his dorm, he overheard a whisper coming from a ways behind him. "I don't understand, did I do something wrong?"

Back in his dorm with the door locked, he panted from dashing back so quickly. _G_ uess Minako-sensei was right, he thought, I really am out of shape. But aside from that, one thing continued to bother him. Viktor had never talked to him before, right? So why now all of a sudden?

Viktor was as mysterious as they come at Saint Petersburg. He was kind and cheerful to everyone, but he wasn't really a conversation initiator. Before today, Yuuri couldn't think of the last time they had spoken since Viktor was asked to give him a tour of the school two years ago. So why was he starting to talk to him all of a sudden?

Maybe, Yuuri reassured himself, he's doing that to everyone because it's his last year? How was there any way to know? The junior became very aware at that moment that his cheeks were stained pink. He looked up to see Phichit noticing the same. "Well, you've been a mess today, haven't you? Is there any lucky man on your mind?"

"Why did you assume I was thinking of a man?" Yuuri wondered aloud.

"Well then should I say lady?" Phichit said, slightly disappointed. Yuuri could only imagine all the ships Phichit came up with in his free time that he would be destroying if he agreed.

"No."

His roommate looked slightly confused. "So…?"

Annoyed, Yuuri fell down onto his bed. "Maybe it doesn't have to do with another person?"

"But I thought you had an embarrassing encounter with a certain _Viktor Nikif-_ "

Yuuri only hid his face in his pillow, and mumbled something Phichit couldn't hear. Surprisingly, his roommate gave up teasing him after that. Relishing the new silence, he relaxed his face which he only just realized had been scrunched up.

What was even going on, though? He'd been acting weird all day. He turned over and held his hand slightly up. It still felt weird where it had brushed Viktor's. That couldn't be normal, could it? But what was he supposed to do? If he told Phichit, he'd immediately start talking about how he could make a new ship for them or something. And imagine how stupid he would sound if he told the nurse! There's no way this could be normal, he was only being weird about it, right? That's what he always did, make it weird…

You always make it weird…

You always make it weird…

You always—

"Yuuri…?" Phichit tapped his shoulder.

"Eh?!" Yuuri screamed as he jumped up, and moved closer to the front of his bed. His roommate took it as an invitation to sit down.

Phichit sighed, saying, "You know I was just joking around, right? I just don't want you to be upset, Yuuri, okay? You're my best friend, you know that. " He put an arm around his shivering friend, waiting for him to calm down. "Everything's okay."

After a while, Yuuri sighed, "I really do overreact, huh." But Phichit kept patting his shoulder, repeating "Everything's okay."

Yeah, maybe everything _is_ okay.

* * *

"I don't understand… did I do something wrong?" Viktor sat down on the armchair as he watched Yuuri run away, confusion etched onto his face. What had he done to make him want to run away? That wasn't what he had been expecting at all.

Yuri huffed and leaned against the wall nearby. "Why're you trying to get the attention of that pig all of a sudden?"

"It's your first year here, Yuri, how would you know if it's all of a sudden?" Mila inquired, smirking as Yuri was clearly annoyed.

Viktor held out a hand. "No _, vse khorosho_. It may be rather sudden, but I have my reasons." He rested back in his chair. Yes, his reasons… he had no intention to tell Yuri, or anyone for that matter, what they were though. They were _his_ reasons, and his alone. He smiled slightly at the thought of that night last year…

"Wake up old man! You still haven't told me why!" Yuri yelled, slapping Viktor in the face.

"Heyyy… that was uncalled for." The senior said, looking a bit hurt as he held his hand up to where he had been hit. He only watched as Yuri was scolded by Mila and Georgi, who had gotten off tinder only moments before.

Mila patted his shoulder as she said, "Maybe Viktor's trying to branch out from just other Russians. Ever consider that?" Yuri only rolled his eyes.

"Orrrrr…" Started Georgi, "It may be a quest for true love!" His eyes sparkled at the mention of the 'l' word, with a large smile. For a moment Viktor felt his face start to go red, but immediately shook it away and laughed.

"No, no, Georgi, it's nothing like that." He put on his perfect fake smile, waving his hands in a gesture to support what he was saying. The other senior sighed.

"You haven't pursued the touch of another in ages, Viktor! Wouldn't you say it's about time to find love?"

Viktor shook his head no.

Just as Georgi was about to inquire why not, he stood up from his chair and began to walk for the door. "Well, would you look at the time! 8:55 already. I best be returning to my dorm, as should you. Goodnight!" He kept the fake smile, making it as overdone as possible to seem more sincere.

When he had gotten far enough already, he sighed, letting out all the breath he had kept in. Being 'perfect' all the time was draining. As he passed by the dorm he believed to be Yuuri's room, he heard a voice faintly escaping the door. It wasn't Yuuri's, but out of pure curiosity he stopped for a moment and listened, a finger curled against his lips.

"You know I was just joking around, right? I just don't want you to be upset, Yuuri…" Upset? What could have made Yuuri upset? It couldn't be him, could it? No, it must have had to do with his friend, not Viktor. After all, it had been ten minutes since then. He immediately tried to push away the thought that that wasn't actually a long time. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he continued on to his dorm room.

Once in his room again, he sat down on his bed and pulled out his headphones. There had been a combination of songs stuck in his head since the beginning of summer, but he had never known what to do with them. Of course, he did now.

He shuffled his music playlist, and it landed on a song— In Regards to Love: Eros.

The music inspired a chord in his heart he hadn't explored in a while, one letting him break loose from that perfection he had to hold out in public, where he was visible. The him, the off-in-space-barely-tied-down-to-Earth him, that he wished he could be like all the time.

When he was talking with Professor Yakov earlier that morning, he had asked what the club would do.

 _"The participants will be split in groups of two. They will each choreograph the other's single dance, but will also create a dance together as a duet."_

 _"Do we get to choose our partners?" Viktor had asked._

 _"Not unless you tell me before the first club meeting."_

 _Viktor nodded. "Ah, I understand."_

Pulling out his laptop, Viktor suddenly began to type an email almost furiously, with a determination he didn't think he was possible of mustering so quickly. His hands pressed the keys quickly, barely stopping to check for any grammar or etiquette mistakes he may have missed in the moment of typing. As he signed his name to the end of the email and was about to click send, he heard the music he was listening to come to a close, and with a smirk of satisfaction, hit send right as the song played its final note.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow." Viktor said, before shutting down his laptop and turning off the lights.

 ** _Dear Professor Yakov,_**

 ** _I do hope you would be so kind as to do me a favor. You had said that if we told you someone who we'd wish to partner with at the skating club before the first day that you would strongly consider to pair the two for the project the club is centered on. I have chosen who I would like to partner with, and very much hope you are in agreement with my choice._**

 ** _I wish to be partnered with Yuuri Katsuki, the junior who signed up at just around the same time as me. If you accept my request I would be ever so thankful! I could, by chance, even see if my parents could get you a raise from the school board. You do know that you are my favorite teacher, of course!_**

 ** _I am terribly sorry for contacting you so late at night, but you will have to forgive me. As you'd know, I am quite forgetful, and wouldn't want this to wait._**

 ** _Thank you for everything,_**

 ** _Viktor Nikiforov_**

Viktor couldn't be more excited for tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _I've been thinking about putting this story on WattPad. Tell me what you think! (if you want to, of course!) Also, I'm planning on making another Yuri! On Ice Oneshot for Valentine's Day that I'll post on the 14th. Feel free to check it out when it's up! Anyway, thank you for making it this far in the story!_

 **Chapter 3**

Yuuri left AP Chemistry with an impending need for sleep and what seemed like the start of a cold. He couldn't think of any way his day could get worse. Luckily for him, it was my last class of the day.

Of course, he forgot it was also his first day of ice skating club.

He was halfway back to his dorm when he realized he needed to be on the other side of campus. "Oh god, I can't believe I'm going to be late the first meeting!" He didn't know his feet could run that fast. By the time he made it to the rink, the door had already been closed. He opened it, embarrassed, and sat at the end of the bleachers with everyone else.

He glanced at the other students in the club with him. He saw Phichit sitting on the other end, waving to him, but Yuuri didn't think it would be a good time to walk over. He also saw Viktor talking to his friend Chris, along with the other Yuri and Georgi.

"Good to see that Mr. Katsuki chose to join us," Yakov said, before looking back down at his notes, "Now that you're all here, it's time to divide you into your groups."

Groups? How much had Yuuri missed? He guessed that he'd just have to ask his partner what they were supposed to be doing. He watched as Yakov assigned the students into groups of two.

There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to his choices; some of them looked like best friends, while others seemed like they'd never even known each other. He didn't even separate by grade, which was something Yuuri had expected him to do. He watched as a very uncomfortable freshman was forced to stand next to a junior Yuuri knew all too well: JJ, the loud and annoying kid in half his classes who wouldn't shut up about his girlfriends and "academic talents."

He started wondering: what if he _did_ get grouped with someone like JJ? He scanned the other students still remaining on the bleachers. They didn't seem arrogant or anything. Right as he turned his head back to face Yakov, he heard his name being called.

"Yuuri Katsuki, Viktor Nikiforov."

Yuuri felt his face go red. Why did it have to be Viktor? Well, he had no reason to not want to be with the senior, of course, but it just felt weird, especially after the day before. He watched as Viktor stood up and walked to where the other groups were standing. With no other plan, Yuuri joined him.

"Hello again, Yuuri! Isn't great that we're partners?" Viktor said rather enthusiastically, putting an arm around his shoulder. Yuuri flinched slightly, but didn't move the older boy's hand. He could hear himself screaming _Why?_ in his head, but stood still, blood still rushing to his face.

"H-hi, Viktor." He finally mumbled quietly, increasingly aware at the amount of time Viktor's arm had been wrapped around him. The silver-haired senior hadn't seemed to notice, and only moved his hand back when it was time for them to go on the ice.

Yakov had instructed the members of the club to skate around the rink for 3 laps to see how good of skaters each of the students were. It was then Yuuri realized that there weren't many experienced skaters there. He had stumbled when he first got on ice of course, but like riding a bike, easily got back into the movements he had spent so much time on as a kid. He could see the others all looking at him with jealousy, but most were envious of Viktor's incredible skating ability that far surpassed Yuuri's own.

Viktor glided to where Yuuri was skating, no doubt ready for conversation. He looked down on him with his beautiful blue eyes as he said, "Impressive! I didn't know you were this good at ice-skating."

"Oh?" Yuuri said, distracted, before shaking his head vigorously. "Oh! Yeah, I started skating when I was 4, actually. I quit a few years back, though."

Viktor was obviously surprised. "Really? Why?"

Yuuri looked down as they continued to skate around the rink, far surpassing their third lap but continuing to skate anyway. "I don't know… I guess it seemed like a weird thing for me to keep doing when I got older. But I'd like to get back into it, I guess."

"It's never a good idea to abandon your dreams, Yuuri."

The younger boy only nodded in response, not sure how to react.

As they neared the exit of the rink, Yuuri slowed to leave the ice. All of the other advanced skaters had gone back to the bleachers a good minute before, and many of the lower level skaters were nearing their last round. Viktor looked disappointed to leave, but followed his partner nonetheless.

Yakov nodded in approval when all the skaters returned to their seats. "Good job today. We're obviously going to need to do that at the start of every class until you all are used to it, but I intend for that to be soon if you follow all of my instructions. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor Yakov." The class said in unison.

"That _also_ means leaving the ice when you've finished the needed laps, Mr. Nikiforov and Katsuki."

Yuuri felt his face burning, and looked over to see his partner's reaction. Viktor didn't look embarrassed, but instead smiled and laughed, "Yes, sir."

Was he used to that? Yuuri couldn't think of anyway that _he_ wouldn't have been embarrassed in that situation. But of course, Viktor never fell short of surprising him.

* * *

Viktor didn't think he'd ever faced a more difficult decision in his life. "Katsudon or Piroshki?" he wondered aloud. He turned to Chris for ideas.

"Aren't you old enough to make your own choices, or does daddy have to do it for you?"

Viktor stared his friend down with a look of disapproval, before saying, "I just don't know what to pick. I love Katsudon, but I've had it too often this month."

" _It's never a good idea to give up on your dreams,_ Viktor. I'd choose the Katsudon." Chris said, walking further down the cafeteria line.

"You listened?" Viktor said, surprised. "Weren't you on the bleachers by then?"

Chris stared at him as if the answer was obvious. "Yeah, but that was when you were passing by, genius. Or were you too caught up staring down at Yuuri to notice?"

"I was just being a good skating partner, Christophe. I doubt you're trying to encourage _your_ partner."

"They can't skate! Why would I encourage them? My hope is that they just give up and I can do the project on my own."

The two seniors, food trays in hand, sat down at the nearest table, with Viktor being both confused and disappointed in his friend. "It's always good to be supportive, you should know that."

Chris rolled his eyes, "You're no fun."

As time progressed, the two friends ate dinner quickly as they joked and chatted about their first days, and finished twenty minutes before they needed to go back to the dorm hall. "I forgot to tell you, but a few of us in Calc. are meeting up in the senior sitting room to work on our benchmark assignments, wanna join?"

"Hmm… I think I'll pass. There's something I've been meaning to do." Viktor said, distracted by something in his thoughts Chris couldn't recognize.

"Alright, suit yourself. Good luck doing that on your own." Chris shrugged.

As they parted ways, Viktor began to walk to the opposite side of the campus than the dormitory hall, trying his best to blend in and not be seen. He approached the skating rink, slipping through the propped open door and sitting down on the bleachers.

The lights were off, and it was nearly impossible to see, but the senior waited for his eyes to adjust to the minimal amount of lighting. When everything seemed easier to see by dark outlines, he grabbed his pair of skates from his locker a few feet away, and put them on.

Back on the ice, Viktor began to play the music from last night over in his head. He skated out to the center, and began to choreograph the first thing that came to his mind. _What can I make Yuuri become?_ He thought, envisioning him skating to the music he picked to the dance he chose.

Once he had gotten a full song's amount, he began to rethink it, more thoughtful about what he would do. As the song started to play in his head, he chose to make the beginning simple arm movements that struck him as more feminine than he usually chose to skate with. Somehow, it was perfect for the small junior Viktor had in mind.

Of course, his mind began to wander to what he practiced last year on the weekends when the rink was free for anyone to practice on. He would try any jump possible, and tried his ability at jumps complicated as quads. Of course, being a natural talent that was able to strike envy in most of the other students' hearts, it didn't take long for him to master all four. But the one he loved the most was the flip.

But did Yuuri know quads? He hoped he did, or he'd need to make Yuuri spend more time skating than he'd hoped. _It's too late to ask tonight_ , Viktor thought.

But then he heard voices in the hall.

"Phichit, we shouldn't be out here when it's dark, none of the lights are on."

"But you said yourself that if you're going to catch up with Viktor, you need to practice!"

"Not so late in the day! I was thinking on Saturday or something!"

 _Yuuri?_ How could it have timed so perfectly?

"Wait, Phichit, do you hear something?" Yuuri's voice said, right outside the door. "It sounds like someone's in there."

Viktor continued to skate, still listening to the conversation, but too wrapped up in choreography to act like he noticed. Suddenly they stopped talking, but the room remained dark, and he remained alone on the ice. _Could they have gone back when they saw me?_ He could think of nothing else to do but look over to the door.

To his surprise, he saw Yuuri _watching_ him! He couldn't feel any happier than he did then. The two juniors were watching in awe, and seemed to have not noticed Viktor looking right back at them. Now was his chance to say something.

"I didn't expect to see anyone else down here this late," Viktor said as casually as he could, still looping around the ice, even daring to make his jumps in the dark room. He could hear Yuuri gasp, and Phichit laugh.

" _Don't laugh!_ " Yuuri whispered to his friend, probably intending for Viktor to not be able to hear.

"I couldn't help it!" His friend answered back, still stifling his giggling.

"You're welcome to join me." Viktor remarked, by now skating closer to the two juniors. Yuuri seemed to take a step back, striking a bit of disappointment in the senior. _Why does he try to avoid me?_

Yuuri stammered, "I- We're good," before turning around and dragging his friend with him.

"Bye!" Phichit called out, and Viktor only waved until they were both out of sight.

 _I guess the only time I have with Yuuri is Skating Club,_ Viktor realized as he headed back to his own dorm, _but getting Yuuri by himself is perhaps the most difficult task I'll face this year._


	4. Chapter 4

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _I have yet to put the fic on Wattpad, but I'm probably going to do it soon. Anyway, I feel the past few chapters have been filler, but I'm going to make sure this one counts! Stay with me, guys, I'm working on making chapters more plot-developing, which takes a bit more time. Okay, that's it! Enjoy!_

 **Chapter 4**

"Good to see you didn't forget this time!" Phichit laughed as he and Yuuri met up in the hallway leading to the rink.

"It's not like you didn't text me fifty times after class ended."

Yuuri pulled out his phone to look at a lockscreen filled with ' _I swear to god Yuuri don't leave me with Chris'_ and ' _If you forget I'm throwing away the rest of your pork cutlet bowl no joke'_ spammed a few times. They walked into the ice skating rink and sat down as the other students filled the bleachers around them.

Phichit spoke up, "At least you won't be called out by Yakov again today."

"Maybe I will," Yuuri sighed, "Viktor doesn't seem to ever listen to him." His friend nodded in agreement, noticing the already agitated Yakov waving his arms as Viktor went around the rink without permission.

Giving up, Yakov barked at the rest of the class, "Why are you not in your groups already?"

"Good luck with Chris." Yuuri said, as he walked onto the ice to meet up with Viktor.

"I think I'll need it," Phichit joked.

Yuuri began to skate towards Viktor, who was talking to the freshman that he had seen the week before in the hallway sitting room. He heard him whisper, "Look behind you, it's the pig." Viktor turned around to greet Yuuri.

"Hi, Yuuri! Ready to get started on the song?"

With a nervous laugh, Yuuri nodded his head.

"I hope you trip, old man!" The freshman called out after Viktor. Confused, Yuuri looked back at him. He was partnered with the sophomore Otabek, and seemed only be cheerful around him. _Weird_ , Yuuri thought.

"His name is also Yuri, what a coincidence. Though I can confidently say, the two of you are nothing alike." Victor laughed, looking down to his partner.

"Huh."

As they got on the ice, Yuuri realized that Viktor wasn't paying attention to his own movements but Yuuri's. He tried to act as if that didn't bother him, but like everything else, Viktor noticed. Yuuri could hear the senior's skates approaching him.

"So, what do you think you're best at in skating?"

Yuuri thought for a moment, "I guess I don't get tired as easily. I wouldn't really know, it's been a while."

"Hmm," Viktor wondered aloud, "So good stamina?"

Yuuri nodded.

"Well, we'll keep that in mind. But is there anything else? Do you know a quad or something?"

Yuuri sighed, "I've done a quad toe loop before, but it was a long time ago. I don't think I would be able to do that now."

Viktor thought for a moment, "We'll change that soon."

How did Viktor think he'd be able to get him to do a quad? They were just in a recreational skating club, not the Grand Prix. Besides, could Viktor even do any quads himself?

"Well, what can you do?" Yuuri said.

Viktor beamed, "I can do a quadruple flip, toe loop, and I've done the salchow a few times but haven't really mastered it." Yuuri looked up at him in awe.

Up until now, Yuuri was already on edge. But to know that his partner seemed to be one of the most experienced in the class, he couldn't help but think he would hold them back. How would his performance compare if Viktor could pull off all those quads? After all, it had taken Yuuri about a year to be able to land the toe loop, and that was just one quad!

"Don't worry, it took me a while too." Viktor said, as if he had read his thoughts.

Viktor immediately tried to lighten the mood. "So! Have you thought about any particular songs you'd like to skate to?"

"No," Yuuri admitted, "I fell asleep before I could open the link you sent."

"Great! I have the perfect song for you." Viktor had emailed Yuuri about song choice last night, which he secretly refused to look at. Because of this, Viktor had already chosen what he thought was the best song choice. Viktor pulled out his phone and looked it up, but to Yuuri's horror, it was pretty bold.

"You think that I should- I should do _this_ song? It doesn't seem like me at all." Viktor only laughed.

"That's the point! There's always fun in being surprising, isn't there, Yuuri?"

Yuuri, however, couldn't say he was a fan of surprises. There were plenty of instances where Phitchit had tried to "surprise" him by jumping out of his closet at undetermined times.

"I guess." He finally said, not entirely sure what he was agreeing to.

"Great! The song is called In Regards to Love: Eros. This is actually only a part of the song, feel free to listen to the other half if you'd like." Victor said cheerfully.

Love? Eros? Yuuri felt his face going red. What did Viktor think Yuuri could do?

"You seem concerned." Viktor pointed out. "Why?"

Before he could think about what he was going to say, Yuuri blurted out, "Because I don't really know anything about love, or eros, or anything like that! I'm not that kind of person!" He immediately regretted it, now noticing the snickering of a couple of the other skaters. _Congratulations Yuuri, now everybody knows that you've never had a girlfriend._

Suddenly, Viktor grabbed Yuuri's hand. Yuuri, already bothered about all of this "love talk," froze. Viktor smiled down at him, his blue eyes seemed to be trying to figure something out. _Am I going crazy?_ Yuuri thought. _Is he going crazy?_

"I'm sure you can find it deep down, Yuuri. But I want you to think: What is Eros to you?"

 _Eros?! To me?!_ "I-"

"Don't worry. You have time to figure it out." Viktor dropped Yuuri's hand, and put his own finger up to his lips. "As partners, we should get to know each other better. As you say, this song isn't very _you_ right now- I need to think about how it can."

Yuuri murmured, "Oh." Yuuri wasn't mad at Viktor, but he was a little annoyed. Why did Viktor get to choose the song? If they were partners, wouldn't he get a say? Though Yuuri could never say it aloud, he wasn't quite sure how their project was going to go. He had never met anyone that acted anything like Viktor, let alone be partners with them.

"Well, what's your favorite school subject? Have you ever dated anyone? Oh! Do you like anyone right now?" Viktor said quickly, asking new questions before Yuuri had a chance to answer the one before.

"Stop!" Yuuri cried out in desperation, waiting for Viktor to pause. When he did, he began to answer. "I like history, I guess, no, and… no."

"Huh, okay. Do you have a favorite food?"

"Yeah," Yuuri said, "I like Katsudon."

Viktor smiled. "Like what they have in the cafeteria?"

"That's not the right way. I got a recipe from my mother that's much, much better." Yuuri bragged. Yuuri always ate katsudon, despite being in Russia. It was his little reminder of back home, where his mother would always make these huge feasts including all of his favorites. He missed Japan a little.

"Really?"

"Mhm, I have some extra in my room right now, actually. I could give you some if you want."

"I'd love that!" Viktor exclaimed. _He must love katsudon as much as I do_ , Yuuri noted, _but then again, who doesn't_?

"After practice, I'll get it for you." He offered. Viktor smiled happily, much less enigmatic than he usually seemed to act.

* * *

"Wow, amazing! _Vkusno!_ "

Viktor finished the katsudon within a few minutes. "And you made this yourself?"

Yuuri nodded his head and smiled.

"Wow! I didn't know you're such a talented chef!"

"Thanks," Yuuri blushed a bit (which, for once, didn't go unnoticed from Viktor), and said, "I do what I can with the limited kitchen in the dorms. It's not even close to what my mom would make back home."

"You know, Yuuri, you should really give yourself more credit."

The junior looked confused, staring at Viktor, not sure how he should respond.

Viktor decided to continue. "You really can do great things. I mean, you've been able to land a quad more than once, right?" He waited for Yuuri to nod before continuing, "But something seems to be stopping you. What is it?"

He only hoped his change in tone wasn't too drastic.

"Well, I- I'm not the most confident in 'what I do,' I guess."

Viktor had planned to make some sort of inspirational speech, or just do something to help his partner gain more confidence. However, he was stuck just - _thinking_ \- about how vulnerable Yuuri seemed in this moment. He had to do _something_ … what would be surprising… what would help?

He needed to get to know Yuuri better, but Viktor really didn't have a clue of how to react in these situations… He seemed to have forgotten Yuuri's dislike for 'surprises,' but Yuuri needed to get used to them if he was really going to skate to Eros.

He walked over to Yuuri, and stared down at him, making sure he seemed as calm and reassuring as possible. "No one in the whole world knows the confidence you have, Yuuri- the eros. It may be an alluring side to you that you yourself are unaware of…"

But of course, Viktor's 'calm and reassuring' was quite the opposite for Yuuri. Despite this,

Yuuri looked strangely beautiful to Viktor then. There was no reasoning for it, Viktor was surprised himself.

Suddenly, the door to the dorm opened. "Hey Yuuri, I'm back-"

Phichit saw.

"What's going on?" He stifled a shocked laugh, as Yuuri jumped away. "What are you doing, Yuuri?"

"Nothing, nothing, just talking." Viktor smiled, heading for the door. "It was nice getting to know you, Yuuri!" He called out as he left.

"Y-yeah, you too."

And yet, Viktor was definitely still a mystery.

As he walked towards his room, Viktor noticed his phone ringing. "Oh, hi Yuri."

"Where the hell are you? You said you'd help me land a toe loop!"

Viktor laughed, "Right, that."

"Right, that? You forgot again, I swear..." Yuri grumbled. "Just- whatever, hurry up and get back here."

"Alright, alright, I'll be there in a moment." He hung up the call, and with a sigh, headed back for the rink.

Had he done the right thing for Yuuri? He wasn't exactly sure. Half the time, Viktor didn't have a plan for anything anyway... would it work out in the end? Of course he hoped it would, but just like his 'planning skills,' he really had no idea. _How would it turn out?_

Viktor had always grown up with a natural talent at skating, and well, Yuuri would learn in a completely different way. Somehow this project became very important to Viktor, though he doubted the other groups were taking it as seriously.

But for now, he was headed to the ice rink to teach a stubborn Yuri how to land a toe loop.

"Where were you, old man? There's not much time before dinner for me to land the jump." Yuri complained as Viktor arrived.

"It's fine, there's always tomorrow."

"You didn't answer my question."

Viktor paused for a moment. "Oh! I was just talking with Yuuri."

"You mean the pig?"

"Yuuri isn't a pig." Viktor said, a little more serious than normal.

After a brief thought, Yuri remarked, "You chose him, didn't you? Yakov had said that you could choose your partners if you told him before the first meeting."

"Yes, he did." Viktor said, as if remembering irrelevant information.

"You talked to him before he was your partner last week… and you seem to go out of your way to make sure he's around you more often." It seemed like the puzzle was piecing together. "And you _still_ haven't told me your reasons for any of that!"

"Give me time, Yuri."

After a short period of silence, Viktor, back to his usual self, exclaimed, "Anyway, ready to land a quad?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _For this chapter and the last chapter I owe a lot to my friend Shtubb (they just recently created an account and don't have any stories as of now, but they're there!) who helped out as an editor and made sure I didn't completely embarrass myself with the writing. I also uploaded the story to Wattpad. Lastly, be sure to look out for the Valentine's Day story I'm uploading on the 14th! As much as it pains me, I've committed to making it. Anyway, enjoy the story, and thanks for sticking around!_

 **Chapter 5**

"I didn't know you were that close to Viktor." Phichit laughed.

"I'm _not_." Yuuri said stubbornly.

"Are you sure?" Phichit held his hands together and bashed his eyelashes, "He was right there, staring down at you… you have to admit that's dreamy."

" _No_."

 _Damn it, Viktor!_ Yuuri thought, _I don't need Phichit doing this… you and your stupid idea to help me 'gain confidence' only make everything worse!_

Phichit suddenly began to act seriously. "But really, Yuuri, how do you feel about him? I won't tell anyone."

"You'll just use it against me, like what you did when I told you I used to take ballet." Yuuri countered. He didn't have any intention to tell Phichit how he felt about Viktor, because in all honesty, he had no idea himself.

Afterall, he knew how awkward and oddly unaware Viktor was acting around him. It wasn't normal for just starting to really become friends with someone… but somehow, Yuuri felt okay about it. Or, as okay as he would ever feel with someone like Viktor. He had no reason to, really, but something in the back of his head that he just couldn't remember felt so comfortable around Viktor. Maybe it was the fact that someone was actually "interested" in Yuuri. He hadn't been the most social person, if it weren't for Phitchit's interest in making fun of him they probably wouldn't have become friends, let alone roommates.

"What is it?" Phichit finally said after a long while of neither of them talking.

"I just- this sounds stupid, but I really feel like I'm forgetting something."

"What do you mean, something? Like homework, or…?"

Yuuri was still confused, and stared at a random dot on the wall as he spoke, as if looking away would cause him to lose everything he was thinking. "No… it's like a full memory."

* * *

 _It was Viktor's last day of junior year- and he definitely remembered it well. The outgoing seniors always hosted a party for the rest of the school to be held in the dormitory lounge, but the_ real _party was outside by the lake. Only an exclusive few found of about it, Viktor obviously being one of them._

 _As he walked over to the tables hastily set up, he noticed the other students who hadn't been there last time: a few seniors who were told as a graduation treat, a freshman who must have followed someone else out, and two sophomores, one of them Viktor barely recognizing as the one who was always trying to sneak hamsters into class, and the other the quiet kid he had given a tour of the school when he'd first arrived at the beginning of the year._

 _He walked over to Chris, who was unpacking his suitcase of various beers and liquors that the other students weren't questioning how he got. "Care for some?" Chris held up a bottle to him._

" _Only a little, you know what happened last time." Viktor laughed, taking it and popping open the lid._

 _His friend shrugged, "It's a good thing nobody else saw. But y'know, I snuck it from the lunch lady's secret collection… you can always get some more from there. She thinks it's well hidden underneath that big clunky trash can, but anybody can see it if they look enough."_

" _Or, Chris, that might just be your secret talent."_

" _Yeah, maybe that's it." Chris chuckled._

 _They talked for a while longer, and watched as a few more students arrived in small and uneven clusters, half heading for the drinks while the others just went to talk to friends in a less crowded spot than the official party._

 _Everything seemed normal, of course. But that couldn't last for long._

" _Yuuri, what're you doing? You're being weird." Viktor could hear Phichit say. He didn't think much of it until he really began to watch the spectacle going on across the clearing._

 _The sophomore was laughing almost hysterically with his tie wrapped around his head. Viktor couldn't make out anything he was saying. Yuuri was definitely getting the attention of other students, but didn't seem to notice. Instead, he kept laughing, and went to get more sprite. Phichit continued to try to contain his friend, but eventually gave up and started looking for someone to find out what was wrong._

 _It wasn't long until they had made it over to Chris and Viktor._

" _H-hi, don't mean to bother you guys, but do you know what's going on with Yuuri?" Phichit asked, confused, as he dragged Yuuri over to them._

 _Chris shrugged it off. "He's just drunk, happens all the time at parties."_

" _Yuuri just had sprite."_

" _Yeah, sure, that's the basic excuse for someone to cover it up…" The junior started, but was cut off by Yuuri spilling his drink all over Chris' favorite shirt. "Shit!"_

 _It sure was a spectacle… Yuuri was semi conscious on the ground, and Phichit was oddly shaking… There was only one thing it could be._

" _Chris... what did you do?" Viktor accused sternly. Chris, for once, looked completely baffled._

" _What do you mean?" He said._

 _Viktor sighed, motioning to the sophomores. "Someone obviously spiked their drink, and I can't think of anyone else who would want do that."_

 _Phichit whimpered, "Spiked?" as Chris looked around._

" _It wasn't me this time… but what are we supposed to do know? The other one obviously won't last much longer, anyway. We have to think fast."_

 _Viktor suddenly smiled. "I have an idea. You need to make sure Yakov and Baranovskaya are distracted, okay? Bring a beer bottle and put it in the corner, and stage some random senior for it. In the meantime, I'll rush these guys to the dorm."_

" _Gotcha. After all, acting is my passion." Chris joked._

" _Don't make too much of a ham of yourself."_

 _Alright, Viktor thought, time to make sure I don't get caught._

* * *

Yuuri sighed and collapsed onto his bed. "God, my head hurts."

"Wait- I'm interested in this memory thing. Where do you think it happened?" Phichit followed him, persistent.

"I've told you, Phichit, I don't remember…" _It has something to do with Viktor, but I'm not saying that now…_ Yuuri thought to himself. _Phichit would think it's something that it's not._

What is there that he didn't remember from the year before? There wasn't very much he couldn't recall, and he had no reason to forget anything. And not only that, but how would it have to do with Viktor? He hadn't talked to him at all last year since he was given the tour… everything just seemed off.

"You know, I probably can help you remember."

Yuuri shrugged. "It's fine… I'm just going to go to sleep."

"Alright," Phichit called out as he headed back for the living room, "I'll be over here if you change your mind."

"I won't." Yuuri whispered into his pillow, turning over and hoping he could fall asleep before midnight for once.

* * *

 _Viktor was definitely in an unusual situation. He had his arm wrapped around Yuuri's waist to support him, and held the hand of a viciously shaking Phichit who looked ready to fall over at any moment. He could only hope Chris caused enough of a racket to divert attention away from the scene he would certainly be causing otherwise._

 _As he ran through the back door, he could hear Yakov yelling at the students from the front of the party. "Crap!" Viktor murmurmed; sure the teachers were distracted, but they were still right by the staircase. Chris would have to be next-level to get Viktor out of trouble… or would he?_

" _I heard some of the seniors brought beer to the outside party." A freshman piped up, not realizing their mistake._

" _THE OUTSIDE PARTY?! BEER!?"_

 _Good thing I'm not still out there, Viktor thought, taking the opportunity to pass by a very distracted and red-faced Yakov. He gave a quick thumbs-up to Chris, who appeared too heartbroken to even acknowledge the success of their plan._

" _So much for going back next year." Phichit whispered._

 _Viktor was surprised. "You'd still wanna go back?" The sophomore shrugged and began to slump more. There wasn't much time left. He began to hurry up the stairs more, thankful everyone's attention was turned the other way. Viktor quickly glanced back to double check, and was relieved to see that only one other junior noticed, but didn't seem to want to tell anyone._

 _When he was finally out of view from the party, Viktor stopped and checked the other two boys. Phichit was barely staying awake, his shaking worse than ever; Yuuri was out cold. The junior picked Yuuri up bridal-style, to find that he was surprisingly light. Thank god, he thought, or the next two flights wouldn't be very pleasant._

" _Just hold out a bit longer, and give me the keys." He said to Phichit, who nodded. Viktor ran up the stairs as fast as possible, making sure to keep Yuuri from falling off his shoulder. When he finally reached the two sophomores' room, he laid them down on their beds as quickly as possible._

 _Phichit didn't take much longer to fall asleep, and didn't stir when his eyes finally closed all the way, except for light snoring. Yuuri, however, kept tossing over in his bed, obviously uncomfortable._

" _Yuuri, are you okay?" Viktor cooed, trying to calm Yuuri down so he could sleep as peacefully as his friend._

 _His eyes fluttered open. "Vik-viktor? Where's the party?" Yuuri hiccupped, still dazed._

" _Yakov broke it up, it's no use trying to go back. I brought you up here so you wouldn't get in trouble." He lied, well, at least about the last part. He kneeled down by Yuuri's bed. "Would you like me to get you some water, or something?"_

 _He was surprised to find Yuuri hugging him. "Thank-" hiccup. "-you! You're the best…"_

" _No problem."_

" _Will they not do the party next year?" Yuuri asked after a moment of thinking, still in the hug._

 _Viktor sighed. "Probably not, Yakov was pretty mad."_

 _Yuuri pulled away, and stared the junior directly in the eyes. Viktor had never noticed how pretty Yuuri's were… they were a soft brown, like chocolates. He didn't look away._

" _I want to talk to you more."_

" _About what?" Viktor asked calmly, still staring into Yuuri's beautiful, beautiful eyes._

" _Everything!"_

 _Viktor laughed. "Alright, you start."_

 _Even though Yuuri wasn't how he normally would be, it was hard for Viktor to think of a reason why the sophomore wasn't just… perfect. They talked for what must have been hours… Viktor telling him about Makkachin, his dog, only to find out Yuuri also had a poodle. He also found out that Yuuri's family worked the last hot spring in their town… Viktor secretly hoped he could visit one day._

 _When Yuuri was finally sound asleep, Viktor headed back to his own dorm, and layed down on his bed, not going under the covers, just laying. He couldn't get Yuuri off his mind… the sophomore was just so kind, dorky, adorable… He knew for sure he wouldn't forget that night. He only hoped that Yuuri be able to remember just the same._


	6. Chapter 6

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _Hi! The chapter was a bit delayed because I was working on the Valentine's day story, and then got very out of schedule, but it's up now, so I can start working on the next part again. I had said originally that I'd update at least once a week, but I'm trying for once every three days, or so. And lastly, I do know the last chapter didn't really do anything plot-wise, but that had to be said sometime, and I figured earlier on was a good time to put it out there, even if the show does it differently. Alrighty, that's all I have to say. I hope you like the chapter!_

 **Chapter 6**

As the other students on the rink were starting out their skating routines, Viktor had Yuuri trying to land the quadruple toe loop.

"Don't worry, you're doing great!" Viktor called out in support, but Yuuri wasn't too sure. He had fallen every time he'd attempted the jump, and the loops were already sloppy and rushed. _How have I gotten so out of touch?_ Yuuri thought as he continued to flub yet another jump. Very consciously recognizing that he wasn't doing his best, Yuuri wasn't sure how he felt about Viktor's support.

"I can't seem to get it." He said after a moment, fully ready to give up. Of course Viktor wouldn't allow that, he was dead-set on making sure Yuuri would complete this jump.

Still discouraged, Yuuri looked over to Phichit, who was on the other side of the ice. He looked like he was doing well enough with Chris; they were practicing combinations. _I wish I was doing that, instead of embarrassing myself in front of everyone else._

After a few more failed attempts, Viktor stopped him. "Okay, let's think of this another way. We'll break it down, alright?" He lifted his foot. "You need to make sure you land like _this…_ " His the blade was fully on the ice, and his foot was slightly to the side.

"Fine, fine…" Yuuri sighed. He was a little annoyed, to be honest. Though he had clearly improved with help from Viktor, it felt he didn't get too much of a say on what he was doing with his time on the ice. Sure, Yuuri still didn't completely trust his own decisions, but he hadn't seen Viktor ask for it much. Either way, he almost hoped to find some issue in Viktor's skating abilities when it was _his_ time to coach, unlikely as it was, just so _he_ could be the one to help.

Yuuri took a deep breath, and built up the momentum required for the jump. In the air, he focused entirely on how he would land. Through the rotations, he watched as the ice got closer and closer…

"Great job!" Viktor cheered. There was also a supportive yell from Phichit in the background. Yuuri smiled. _I did it!_

He was a little out of breath. Doing so many jumps, good stamina or not, was tiring even though most of them were failed. Noticing his fatigue, Viktor suggested that they should take a break on the bleachers for a little while, which Yuuri was very grateful for.

"You relearned that jump very quickly, Yuuri. I thought it would have taken longer."

Though is was a compliment, it only added to Yuuri's insecurities. _Is that what Viktor expected of him? Would he ever skate anywhere near as well as Viktor?_

Yuuri muttered "Thanks" with a forced smile, and looked down to his skates. They sat there for a while longer, without much conversation. He couldn't imagine how awkward it would be if that's what the rest of the year would be like.

"Okay, break time's over!" Viktor stood up and walked back to the ice. "We can't sit around all day, right?"

Yuuri nodded and followed. Hopefully he wouldn't have to practice the quads again.

"I think it's time that we start with the real choreography though, don't you?" Viktor asked him. He skated out to the end of the ice. The other club members in the area seemed to move more towards the middle to give him space. "Watch this, okay?"

Leaning on the rink wall, Yuuri watched as Viktor started the routine. _It fits perfectly with the music… but it's still nothing like me,_ Yuuri thought with a sigh. Would Viktor ever really realize that? Something in Yuuri doubted it.

The further into the routine Viktor got, the more he came to realize the difficulty of it. _This is all for a recreational show? This looks like it came straight out of the Grand Prix Final! How could I ever do this?_

Why Viktor had put so much effort into choreographing such a routine? He had it all planned out already… Yuuri hadn't even begun to think about what he could do for Viktor's performance. Whatever it was, it would look trashy no matter how well Viktor skated it compared to what was planned for him.

"So, Yuuri, what do you think?" Viktor said at the end, tired but smiling.

Yuuri wasn't sure what to say. After a moment, he stammered, "I- do you think I can actually do this?"

"Of course."

Yuuri only wished he could think that himself, but he'd try his hardest. _I bet if I'd gotten anybody else as a partner, even Chris, god forbid, I wouldn't have been given a program anywhere near as difficult as this one._ Yuuri thought, accepting that in the end, he would have to skate it anyways. It was kind of exciting, in a way, though he wouldn't be thinking that whenever he needed to practice the toe loop again. He dreaded the thought of continuing to practice the quad, even though he knew it was inevitable.

"Anyways!" Viktor said, nonchalantly. "Have you given mine much thought?"

As if Viktor had read his mind, Yuuri wasn't only nervous about completing his own program, having to choreograph one that Viktor would like was its own beast.

Viktor glided over to Yuuri while the other students began filling the middle of the rink again, shaking their heads out of awe and perhaps a little bit of jealousy.

"I'm still working on it." Yuuri replied, too ashamed to admit that he hadn't thought of anything.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time to get everything started and ready." Viktor laughed. "After all, the show's at the end of the year."

Yuuri nodded. "Mhm." But he knew he'd still need to start working on Viktor's routine soon. But how was he supposed to come up with a good enough performance to match what was made for him?

* * *

"Alright, Yuuri, impress me." Viktor said as his partner walked out onto the ice.

Yuuri let out a bewildered " _What?_ What do you mean?" as he stared confused at his partner.

"I don't expect you to have remembered it all, but I want to see how much of a grasp you have on your routine." Viktor answered. _What did he think I meant?_ He wondered.

Yuuri reluctantly skated out to the the middle, and started to begin the routine. The arm movements weren't the same as what Viktor had done earlier, but he couldn't be surprised. Viktor had doubted he would have remembered anything at all if he had only seen a combination once, but was still curious to see what he'd recall.

Yuuri seemed to remember an amazing amount of the choreography, with only a sprinkle of falters and missed timing. It was surprising how well he had done it. Almost every movement Yuuri made was right. However, Viktor did sense a problem with how Yuuri was skating- there was no strong emotion to hold up his performance… there was still no _eros_.

Viktor continued to notice yet another factor bringing his partner down: Yuuri was incredibly insecure during the entire song. As Yuuri brought the routine to a close, Viktor could see the embarrassment on his face. _Why?_

"Great job, Yuuri!" Viktor smiled as Yuuri skated over to the wall.

"Thanks."

Hoping to make conversation through the wall of silence Yuuri seemingly put up, Viktor said, "You know, I've realized a few things with your skating."

Yuuri looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you seem to be particularly talented in your step sequences, and I definitely can see the amount of energy you've built up. And of course I can't imagine how amazing it was that you could remember the so much of the routine after only seeing it once! We can definitely play off your strengths for the performance."

Yuuri thought for a moment. "You sound a lot like a coach right now, you know."

"Yeah, I guess I do." Viktor laughed. "Anyway, why don't we go through the steps?" Yuuri agreed quickly, with only just a nod for a response.

He learned quickly, as Viktor had expected. He did well on the toe loop after barely just relearning it, and especially shined on the step sequences as Viktor had noticed before. Of course, as good as the level he had set it to be on was, Viktor knew he would eventually have to increase the difficulty- after all, Yuuri could improve. He just needed someone who cared to help him out.

"So, how do you feel?" Viktor asked as the club ended. They walked out the door together to the dorms.

"Alright, I guess. I still can't see myself in the music, though." His partner admitted. _Of course,_ Viktor thought, _I still need to find out how he can put himself into the performance._

Viktor wondered how, though. It didn't seem like finding his eros would come easy to Yuuri. After all, the had little experience with romance, which the performance was clearly centered on. "Yuuri, I do have one request."

"Huh?"

"I want you to think about how _you_ can find your eros. I can't find yours for you." Viktor said, trying to put as much meaning into his words as he could. After all, this was really something Yuuri needed to realize for the entire routine to have a strong enough meaning for him to find out his strength on the ice.

Yuuri's face went a bit red. "I don't think I have it." He finally admitted, and looked down.

"Of course you do! Just think about if there's ever been something- some _one_ , perhaps- that's had that kind of effect on you. Something that makes you lose the ability to make rational decisions… something that-"

Yuuri interrupted him, quickly saying "I know, I know... I'll think about it, okay?."

"Alright!" Viktor said cheerfully, "tell me when you think you've found out what it is!" And with that, they parted ways. Yuuri went to his room on the third floor, and Viktor continued up to the fourth.

 _I wonder what he'll think of._ Viktor sat down on his bed, trying to come up with any answer Yuuri might come up with. He knew Yuuri had some sort of eros _somewhere_ , but it was only a thing the junior could find for himself.

But perhaps Viktor would have to play a role in Yuuri discovering this. Would he have to show him eros of his own?

Whatever the case, he knew he'd have to help somehow. Maybe just by supporting, or maybe being something more than just a partner in the ice skating club. But for now, he'd see how far Yuuri would get on his own.

"I know you can do it, Yuuri." He whispered aloud to nothing, somehow hoping Yuuri could hear, "But you need to find that out for yourself as well."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _Here's the next chapter! School has been getting progressively more busy for me, and I'm trying to get myself a better sleep schedule, even though it's usually very late at night when I work on this. But I'm still trying to stick to my schedule! Aside from that, feel free to review if you like the story so far! It really is great motivation and a pleasure to read. Okay, that's all I have to say, I hope you enjoy the next entry!_

 **Chapter 7**

The constant howl of wind outside that came along with the thunderstorm that flared on outside of the dormitory window didn't help anything when it came to Yuuri's current problem. He clutched his head from a bad headache caused from stress, and also the aggravation from the dreary weather.

"What eros is to you? That sounds like it would come out of a movie or something." Phichit observed.

"I know, I know! But he's so serious about it being something important… I can't come up with any sort of answer, though." He sighed in frustration, collapsing onto the couch. Phichit walked over to see the pathetic sight of Yuuri curled up on the cushions freaking out over what seemed to be nothing.

Hoping to reassure him, Phichit said, "Well, I bet Viktor wouldn't know either. It's not like it's your fault for being so confused."

"Well, Viktor's basically a genius, not to mention the school's closest thing to a heartthrob on campus. He can get away with that."

Phichit smiled slyly. "Heartthrob? What're you trying to say, Yuuri?"

"What? I'm not _trying_ to say anything!" He said, surprised, jumping back and waving his arms no. He wasn't sure why he was overreacting, but he couldn't let Phichit think… that he liked Viktor.

"Sure." Phichit laughed.

But why was he always trying to prove Yuuri had a thing for his ice-skating partner? It was starting to get on his nerves, especially when he was trying to figure so much out for himself. But no, he was simply understanding that Viktor was attractive to some people. But not to him… right?

No, not to him.

"You really do want to know who I like though, huh?" Yuuri said.

"Maybe a little." Phichit admitted, "But that's just because you've only liked one person for what was it- a week?"

Yuuri thought for a moment. "I think I've liked two people… but nobody this year. They don't even go to the school, either."

"I don't care, tell me anyway!" He urged, smiling. Phichit always liked gossip, even if he didn't really know what it meant, or who it was about."

"For a little while, I liked my friend Yuko. But not anymore! It was a long time ago, so that's in the past..." he trailed off. It was always weird for him during the month he had a crush on her.

During that time, he spent more of his days at the Ice Palace. It really _had_ been a long time ago… he was ten when he liked her. But it was one of the reasons he was so into skating. Her parents were the owners of the rink, and he could count on her always being there; she even did her homework in the front room.

He still had that love when the crush was far gone, too. He and Yuko spent their time trying to learn how to do jumps and step sequences. When she began to grow out of it, Yuuri still practiced. Thinking back, it was stupid of him to give it up so easily when he went into high school. It was one of the only was he felt he could really express himself.

That's what skating was about, wasn't it? It was art. And art meant showing the world your true thoughts, yourself.

He was so used to it before… So why did it almost feel invasive when Viktor was there? Just last year he wouldn't have given him any thought. But now it felt like the senior was plaguing his thoughts.

"...Chris is just the worst though! I think every time he finishes a combination he c- Yuuri, are you listening?" Phichit said. He must not have noticed. _Seriously, something has to be wrong with me._

"No comment." He muttered.

Phichit laughed. "Hey, at least I listen to your rants."

"Sorry! I didn't realize I was tuning out."

Phichit continued to complain about teachers, homework, and Chris, while Yuuri did his best to listen. But he still couldn't shake off his confusion. Maybe it would be best to say something about it… after all, what's the worst that could happen? Even though Phichit still liked to talk, he trusted him.

"I don't mean to interrupt…" Yuuri said, "But I think I want to talk to you about something."

His roommate looked up. "Sure! About what?"

Yuuri sighed. For some reason, he hoped Phichit had said no, even though he would never do that. "I dunno what it is, but I've just been feeling off recently… It seems hard to focus, and I just keep on - well, thinking about the ice skating club, and Viktor. Not as a crush, though! Just thinking…"

Phichit was quiet for a moment. "You're sure it's not as a crush?"

Yuuri nodded.

"So what kind of thinking is it?"

"Well, it just confuses me about how all of a sudden he's really just noticed me. I don't know why, or what… But it feels a bit wrong. I'm not the kind of person he'd usually talk to."

"Huh…" Phichit said, before suddenly getting an idea. "If you want I can talk to Mila! She's in my biology class. She hangs out with Viktor sometimes."

Not sure what to say, Yuuri just said, "You'd do that?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not. After all, I'm a bit curious myself." He smiled.

It felt nice to finally get his thoughts into words… thank god Phichit always knew some way to help. But until he got answers, Yuuri was just going to have to keep wondering.

* * *

Viktor, Georgi, Mila, and Yuri all sat around in the sitting room like they usually would do, telling whatever story from the day would come to their mind. It was a bit of a tradition at this point, and something Viktor looked forward to. He could never really tell why, but hearing his friends' anecdotes was something he valued more than he could really say.

"I still don't understand why we need to take so many science classes. I'm certainly not planning to sit around all day with a microscope for a living! It's stupid. I'd much rather learn how to deal with a serious relationship." Georgi complained.

"Of course you would.. And,oh- that reminds me of something!" Mila suddenly said, jumping up. Everyone looked over to her, especially Yuri, who looked as if he wanted to slap her. "Heh, sorry. But it reminds me of something in biology- that one kid Phichit asked me about Viktor."

Viktor was surprised. "Me?"

"Yes you, what other Viktor is there?" Yuri said, rolling his eyes. "Sometimes you need to use your brain- if you have one, that is."

Mila continued. "Yeah, he was asking about the skating club and stuff. I can't exactly remember why, though. Something to do with the other Yuuri, I guess, and the song you're making him skate to."

"Phichit is Yuuri's roommate." Viktor clarified, "So it could be something he was asking for him."

"Yeah, could be." She shrugged. "But why?"

Viktor had an idea of why, but he wanted to be sure before he said anything. "Possibly because I over-complicated Yuuri's routine. He's not professional level yet, but I made sure his program was."

Georgi and Mila gave him quizzical looks. "Why?"

They all had talent in skating, but Viktor was on the highest level. Of course, Yuri was showing incredible talent also, especially for only being 14. But the other Yuuri- sure he had talent, but would he be able to get that much?

"Because I think it would be nice to have someone I know competing against me in the Grand Prix." Viktor simply said, causing the others even more confusion.

"That pig can barely land a single quad! And in case you didn't notice, you're no coach either." Yuri growled. As true as that was, Viktor was still determined.

With a smile, he explained, "He has potential. I won't let him waste it. He has two years to keep practicing, maybe longer… And being able to do even just one quad is an achievement in itself. But anyway, I know he'll get there with some help."

"And what about us…?" Mila muttered.

Viktor didn't seem to hear. "But also, he needs to figure a few things out for himself as well. Hopefully the program can help him out with that."

"Since when did you become so obsessed with helping others?" Yuri snorted.

"I still think there's more…" Georgi said, smiling. "Maybe it has something to do with last year's party…?"

As calmly as possible, Viktor asked, "Why do you think so?"

"I saw you dragging the poor guy away from the outside party before we got caught." Georgi explained. "And you didn't come back for the rest of the night. Though I must say, your act of kindness was very valiant of you."

Viktor shrugged. "I brought him back to his room, and then went right back to mine. I heard Yakov yelling."

"Lucky." Mila sighed. "I got caught going back in through the side door."

With nine only minutes away, Yuri was the first to start the walk back down to his room. Viktor and Georgi soon began their silent walk back. Viktor pursed his lips, deep in thought. _So Yuuri thinks about me, too. I wonder in what way…_

As little as he liked to admit it, it was almost a bit exciting. He tried to not be too enthusiastic all the time, but he couldn't always hold in his feelings. As soon as Georgi walked back into his own dorm, Viktor couldn't help but laugh a little.

Could it be that Yuuri actually liked him? He really did hope so. After all, Yuuri was always a blushing mess whenever Viktor got close to him, and seemed to be embarrassed whenever he was around. It really did seem to fit…!

But Viktor knew he couldn't let Yuuri know that _he_ had feelings for him also. It pained him that Yuuri wouldn't ever remember the reason, of course… which was only more of a cause for him to keep it only to himself.

When Viktor returned to his own dorm, he went to get his laptop. Looking back at his suggested music list, one particular song caught his eye.

 _Stammi Vicino (Stay Close to Me)._

Curious, he press play, and immediately felt immersed in the music. _Perfect,_ he thought.

As the song played, he began to choreograph in his mind- something he often did, even though it usually stayed there. But something about this song… maybe the title, maybe the feeling it gave him… made him hope it didn't just stay in his head. He began to add another skater in his head.

He wasn't sure what song he should choose for he and Yuuri's duet. But with lyrics that seemed so perfectly hidden, and a title that didn't need to be said with a translation, Viktor couldn't help but feel like he had the perfect song to express how he felt, even if it was likely Yuuri would never find out what he was trying to say.

Besides, he almost liked it better that way. To him, and he hoped to Yuuri also, skating was art. And art was that poetic way of expressing your thoughts and feelings.

And since when could Viktor ever be straightforward, anyway? He was definitely going to enjoy this, he knew. He and Yuuri- skating a love song together!


	8. Chapter 8

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _So much for getting into schedule! I think it's kinda obvious I'm not following that anymore… It's been over two months since I lasted updated. (Sorry! School's hard!) I really want to get this story finished by the end of the year though, and I'm planning over 20 chapters, so I should probably start updating more often than once every two months… If I go on hiatus again, though, I promise I'll warn you. Thanks for being patient, or if you just started reading, making it this far! I really appreciate you guys, honest. To make up for everything, I've tried to make this chapter a bit longer._

 _Edit: I realized when starting chapter 9 that the bold 'chapter 8' below didn't show up. Yeah, hopefully that wasn't too weird of a change for you guys reading before I fixed it (if you looked back, of course, which you probably didn't)._

 **Chapter 8**

"Arms up, Yuuri. I don't want to remind you again!" Minako shouted, hitting Yuuri's arm.

"Ow!" He yelped, jumping back. "You didn't have to do that…"

Minako sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "You're not focusing enough. I'm not sure what will get you back in focus, not to mention back in shape..." - At this, Yuuri seemed to shrink down into a ball of embarrassment - "But I'm set on finding it. So, chin up! Look forward."

Nodding, Yuuri followed his teacher's instructions. _Minako is right,_ he thought, trying to still look calm, _I'm not focusing at all._ Even as he stood warming up at the barre, no amount of _pliés_ , _rond de jambs_ , and _dégagés_ could help him stay attentive.

Usually ballet was calming for him. He had been doing since he was very young, much longer than ice-skating, and barely less time than he was reading. "Dancing's just in your blood." Yuuri's mom would like to say. He had to agree. After all, dancing was second nature to him. He always drew circles with his feet on the ground like Minako-sensei would tell them when she was back in Japan, and he only spent more time dancing once she suggested him to the ice.

Yuuri glanced over to Minako. She was helping another girl in the club with pointe shoes. It was obvious the girl was giving herself a blister, but she refused to stop practicing until she perfected the routine Minako made for the girls _en pointe_. Yuuri was thankful he didn't have to wear pointe shoes- as far as he knew, all they did was end up messing your foot up. As the only boy in the entire dance club, he was perfectly content being by himself. After all, it gave him much more time to think in a calming environment. But he just couldn't understand. Why wasn't he calm?

"Something's on your mind." Minako-sensei plainly said. Startled, Yuuri lost balance and nearly fell. "Sorry to scare you," She laughed, "but I know when there's something wrong."

He nervously laughed. "I'm just distracted, it's nothing important."

"You don't lie very well." Minako said curtly.

Yuuri sighed. "Fine… I guess it's just that I'm worried about the Ice Skating Club showcase." Of course it was more than that, be he didn't see much reason to share more than he needed to.

Finding his response respectable, Minako-sensei nodded. "That makes sense. After all, you haven't explored too much of ice skating, really. You're being pushed to new levels. But just tell me if there's anything you think I can help with. After all, ballet is one of the best ways to improve your movement on the ice."

"I will, thanks." He muttered as she walked away, about to instruct the class more about what they were supposed to be doing.

As he walked out of dance club later that day, he noticed himself catching the eye of Viktor. He was leaning on the wall, and it seemed like he had been looking at his phone. _Was he waiting for me?_ The thought flashed in his mind, but he quickly denied it. That was silly, after all. Viktor wasn't waiting for _him_.

"Hey, Yuuri! I thought we could get a jump-start on our skating routines." Viktor smiled sweetly. It was weird- Yuuri hadn't noticed Viktor's slight Russian accent as much until now.

He hesitated for a moment. "Uh… okay. Which one should we start with?"

"The pair skate, definitely." Viktor said, almost eagerly. "I find partner skating to be much more difficult, so it may need more practice than the other two."

Yuuri nodded. He hadn't done pair skating himself, but he didn't doubt that it would be harder to have to look out for a whole other person, too.

"Good to see we're on the same page." His partner laughed. Viktor _such_ had a rich laugh, and Yuuri couldn't help but smile… of course, until his mind immediately started putting him down for thinking and smiling over nothing. _Why am I just now noticing all of these things about Viktor? It's stupid... I'm stupid..._ he thought.

Their footsteps were rather loud in the large empty hallway, making Yuuri slightly uncomfortable. Viktor's shoes clicked whenever they touched the ground, which was noticeably different to his own sneakers that made small padding noises.

"I'd been thinking of songs that we could use… My mother gave me a nice playlist of songs she'd heard or skated to back when she would be in competitions. I found a particular gem I just couldn't ignore…" Viktor excitedly recounted finding the song, and its name, something Italian that Yuuri didn't know the meaning of.

He didn't realize he was asking it, but it was too late when he realized the stupidity of his question. "So it's all in Italian?"

"Mhm- Is that alright?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" _Smooth move, einstein,_ his head reminded him, _that didn't sound like you hated the idea or anything._ "I- I just meant that, do you know what it means? Like, the title?"

There was no response from Viktor, which was a little surprising. "Vik-"

He was cut off. "I don't remember off the top of my head at the moment… I'll look it back up later. I can tell you then if you remind me… after all, I'm not the best at remembering things." He chuckled.

"Sure." Yuuri said. He knew he probably wasn't going to get an answer… if only he could just remember the name that Viktor told him! Then he could do it himself. It was something like _Stammi_ … _Oh well._

"We're here!" Viktor announced, and Yuuri looked up rather suddenly. There were the two big doors to the skating rink… _time to embarrass myself again, isn't it?_

"I have the music here, on my phone. We can sit down on the bleachers and listen to it there, that's probably easier than having to stand around. We don't want to be uncomfortable, right?"

"Yeah." Yuuri quietly agreed. He never really knew what to say in response to Viktor. He made a quick mental note to work on that.

He followed Viktor to the bleachers, where he sat down and began to put on his skates. He started lacing them up right as the song started playing. He couldn't describe it as anything else than powerful… it was so full of emotions, and so profound. He could understand why Viktor wanted to use it for a routine- it would translate beautifully to skating.

"So, what do you think?"

Yuuri gave a reassuring smile. "Viktor, honestly- I love it."

"I knew you would." His partner replied with a wink, before hopping up to go onto the ice. _Did he just wink at me? Oh… wow._

Yuuri's heart pace quickened as he followed, his hands slightly shaking. He hoped that Viktor wouldn't notice that he was a trembling mess… that wink really did wonders. Whatever he was trying to accomplish worked.

"Alright… I think it'll start like this."

* * *

Their practice had gone surprisingly slow. They hadn't even got through thirty seconds of the song, but instead had to stop whenever Yuuri tripped up.

"Yuuri, I've noticed something." Viktor had said.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, I've noticed that whenever your mind is focused on something else, you don't do as well in your skating. Maybe I could help you, if you told me what it was you're thinking of…"

Yuuri shook his head no. "It's nothing."

He wasn't surprised it didn't work. It was a pathetic attempt, Viktor would admit, but it was an attempt nonetheless. After a bit more trying to get through the song, he called for them to take a break and try again the next day when everyone else met for skating club.

"See you then, Yuuri!"

His partner mumbled, "Mhm, see you then…"

It was starting to occur to Viktor that maybe Yuuri was distracted by the wink… Well, he could only hope so. After all, it was only a month into the school year, sure, but it was a month that went by quickly, so who knew how quickly the next ones would go... and then before he knew it, it would be June, and he hadn't said a word. He _couldn't_ let that happen. But, at least he knew what _not_ to do if he needed to get something done in a short amount of time with Yuuri… He was going to be a challenge Viktor had never faced before.

As he made his way back to his dorm room, he caught up with Yuri and Mila on their way back from dinner, who were unsurprisingly caught up in their usual banter.

"I'd hardly call that a joke!" Yuri snarled.

Mila giggled gleefully. "Well, it's better than anything you'd ever tell, you just don't want to admit it."

"You're the one who doesn't want to admit that I'm right!"

"Hey, hey." Viktor said, hoping he'd break up the fight. It had begun to get old after a month of them having the same type of argument every day.

They seemed to quiet down when they noticed him there, but Viktor couldn't imagine it would stay that way for very long. Peace never seemed to last with those two. At least they didn't really mean anything they'd say to each other, otherwise it would be much worse.

"You weren't at dinner." Yuri said curtly. "Trying to get Katsudon to worship you again?"

His face was stern as he replied, "I don't want anyone to worship me. I'm not perfect."

Yuri rolled his eyes, "Bullshit, you think you're some sort of God, don't you, flirting with some random pig through song titles. You're like a 13 year old girl."

"Well, you must admit, it's a good idea. I still have a song to spare, though… I don't know how I'll convince Yuuri- the _other_ Yuuri- to use it for my song."

Mila piped up, "I have an idea… I can suggest it to Phichit. He's kind of like Yuuri's groupie."

"Wait, what does it sound like?" Yuri asked, grabbing Viktor's phone. "You promised me you'd help me pick my song out because Bek and I-"

" _Bek?_ " Mila snickered.

"- _Otabek_ and I decided to choose our own songs, remember? So if you want that song, I want it."

Viktor laughed. The song he wanted was _One Love: Agape,_ and he knew for sure Yuri wouldn't like it. But it seemed like it could be entertaining, and teach the freshman a lesson.

"Are you sure you want my song?" He cautioned, knowing Yuri would take the bait.

"Yeah, just tell me what it is already! Honestly, you take forever just to ask a damn simple question."

Viktor laughed. "I'll pull it up for you." He took back his phone, and searched up _Agape_ , before handing it back to Yuri. "First song on the page."

"The hell is _Agape_?" Yuri asked, clicking play.

It took less than a minute for the freshman to be absolutely disgusted by the song he just heard. "I want another one!" He shouted, but was shushed by Viktor.

"You said you were sure… It's too late to go back now."

Yuri's face was stained bright red, while Mila and Viktor enjoyed a nice laugh at how easy he was to trick.

"You better watch out, Old man… You may have given me a shit song to skate to, but I'll still do way better than you and your precious piggie." He stormed off down the freshman hall as Viktor and Mila kept laughing.

"He never seems to learn." Mila said, before walking off to her own hallway the floor above.

As Viktor made his ascent to his room, by himself once again, he could only look forward to the day ahead… Tomorrow, he would truly start working on _Stammi Vicino,_ and he would truly start to get Yuuri to be his, once and for all.

After all, time at school was precious, and it was possible that he'd need every moment of it from now on.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hearts as Fragile as Glass**

 _A/N:_

 _Another update! I don't have too much to say except for that I'm grateful that you've read this far. Thanks! Before I forget, if you notice any OOC characters, please tell me! I wanna make sure that they're probably as they would be in high school at least, but if it just seems completely wrong, I'll try to work on it. I dunno why I made it about Clue, but I think it's pretty okay. And, one last thing, I noticed I haven't been expanding the relationship too much so here you go!_

 **Chapter 9**

The day had been going surprisingly fine for Yuuri, really, and that was definitely not something he was used he would say something embarrassing at _least_ , but nothing seemed to happen at all! He even passed Viktor in the hallway without getting nervous about something or another…

He wasn't used to his anxiety not being there, and it was starting to make him anxious.

It also was one of the only days of the week he didn't have any after school activities.. After all, Monday Wednesday and Friday were skating days, and Tuesdays were ballet. And, he nearly forgot that he was helping out with Minako-sensei's other ballet club for freshmans and sophomores on Saturdays now. He only had Thursdays and Sundays now… it seemed crazy to him.

Yuuri flopped down onto the couch right as Phichit walked in, coming back from his class which was all the way on the other side of the school.

"Hey," his roommate said quickly, throwing his backpack off his shoulder carelessly. "It's your off-day, isn't it?"

Yuuri nodded, "Yep. No idea what to do today, though."

And he really didn't. After all, his routine consisted of the following:

Get out of class.

Run to after school program.

If ballet, don't zone out. If skating, be very careful around Viktor. You never know when he'll do… whatever it is he does.

Leave as soon as you're allowed to.

It was a schedule he made sure to stick to, no matter how half of his brain was telling him _not_ to be so skeptical of Viktor. But it was hard not to be… everything that senior did just seemed so intentional and planned, it was almost unrealistic.

"Well, I brought some board games from home… We got them back when my family was living in Detroit. I told you about that, right? Of course I did!" Phichit said, all in a matter of seconds.

"American board games? Which do you have?" Yuuri asked.

His roommate stopped to think for a moment. "I've got _Sorry_ , and _Monopoly_ … oh, right, I also have this one called _Clue_!"

"I've heard about the first two, but what's Clue?"

Instead of answering, Phichit ran to his closet and pulled out a large square box. Yuuri peered over from the couch to see the front, which had "CLUE" in bold letters, and drawings of mysterious-looking people all in front of a large mansion.

"So! Basically, the game is that this big rich man is murdered at a party, and it's up to the players, playing as a house guest to solve the crime. They need to know the weapon, place of murder, and the murderer. Your classic _whodunnit_." He smiled.

Yuuri didn't exactly follow. "So… a murder mystery dinner kind of thing?"

"Not exactly. There's three cards randomly pulled from the deck, and nobody gets to see them. They're what caused it. Then the rest of the cards are shuffled out to the players, and they have to go along and collect information."

There was a brief silence, before Yuuri finally said, "Sounds complicated. And not two-player."

"Oh, right." Phichit said sadly. "It's one of my favorites, and I haven't played it in a while…"

"You can't be so damn convincing." Yuuri sighed, before standing up. His roommate looked up hopefully. "Let's see if we can find anyone who wants to join us in the hall."

They walked out the door and down the hall. Phichit seemed excited enough to let anybody join, something that Yuuri didn't put much thought into. He wouldn't really enjoy having JJ join them, though. That was where he decided he'd draw the line.

As they approached the corner, they were met with familiar laughter.

"Oh shut up, old man! You're getting wrinkles, they don't look good on you." They could hear someone snap. _Oh, not just anyone…_ Yuuri suddenly thought, _That's the_ other _Yuuri._

"Do you WANT me to leave? Because I will." The freshman continued to threaten, and Yuuri could hear his stomps from around the corner.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen." Said Viktor's voice, seemingly holding back more laughter.

Yuuri could hear the blond explode right as they rounded the corner. There, as seemingly always, were Viktor and his friends. Something made him want to go back, even if he had made the conscious decision to follow Phichit over there, but he figured it was too late to do anything about it.

"Hi!" Phichit waved, walking over to them. Yuuri quickly followed suit. "We were just wondering if you guys would wanna play Clue with us."

How just simple conversing came so easy to his friend, Yuuri would never know. He probably would just walk by if he was on his own. Socializing was definitely not his strong suit.

"Sure!" Viktor said cheerfully, looking over to his friends. Mila and Georgi agreed just as enthusiastically, but Yuri was still sulking and facing away.

There was a lively chat going on as Phichit set up the board and players and explained the rules to the others, in case they didn't know or just forgot. Yuuri, however, wasn't really focused on any of that. He would find himself stealing glances over at Viktor, with his soft-looking silvery hair, and how beautiful but icy his eyes were…

 _No, you have to stop. That's stupid._

But he still looked over, just hoping that Viktor wouldn't look up at him.

"Okay, you guys ready?" Phichit asked, "Because it's time to pick our characters!"

The roles were quickly assigned. Viktor was Mr. Green, unsurprisingly the green piece. Mila was Miss Scarlet, the red, and Phichit was Colonel Mustard, the yellow one. Georgi rather willingly took Ms. Peacock, and Yuuri quickly took Professor Plum, the purple.

"So you're saying that I'm left with the fucking _maid_!?" Yuri yelled, looking ready to get up and storm away.

"Mrs. White isn't so bad…" Phichit tried to reassure him, hoping to have a full cast of players. Yuri didn't look so convinced, but sat down regardless.

And thus, the game began. Yuuri looked at his cards. _So it isn't Miss Scarlet, the rope, or the kitchen…_ he thought, thumbing through his small deck. He wrote it down on the small provided notepad. It was a stupid thing to think about, but he was a little disappointed that he didn't know whether or not it was his character. He barely knew anything about this Plum guy, but he was already attached.

He was a bit startled when he heard Georgi shout, "Yuri, stop looking at my cards!" He looked up in surprise, to see that she was talking to the _other_ Yuri. This was becoming a bit inconvenient, something that Viktor seemed to notice also.

"You know, I just had the idea that maybe we should give one of the Yuris a nickname of sorts so we can easily distinguish them."

There was a murmur of agreement from everyone else at the table, as they thought of what could distinguish them.

"Oh, I got it!" Mila piped up excitedly. She pointed to Yuuri. " _You_ stay the same…" and then pointed to Yuri, "and _you_ become Yurio!"

"YURIO?" the freshman yelled, rather aggressively. "Yeah, no, I don't agree with that!"

Viktor seemed to consider for a moment, before saying, "Well, _Yurio_ , I think that's a perfectly reasonable plan."

Yurio's face was burning red, and he promptly stood up. "Y'know, I'd like to make a guess. I think it was me, with an ice skate, in Viktor's eye." Yurio left shoving his chair over as he made his way back to his room.

There was a long silence before anyone spoke again.

"Well, I think we might as well continue." Viktor suggested, picking up the dice. "Oh, nice, a 6!"

* * *

Viktor noticed a rather obvious mood change after the whole Yurio accident. Yuuri seemed embarrassed, Phichit a bit disappointed, and Mila and Georgi still in shock. He, however, felt perfectly fine. After all, that was normal Yurio behaviour.

And no, he wasn't prepared to give up on that nickname any time soon.

The game progressed much quicker than he'd expected, and soon it was narrowed down to two suspects… Mr. Green and Professor Plum. They hadn't divided out Yurio's cards, and everyone was sure that the player card must be in there, but they found it much more fun to play a guessing game instead.

Yuuri looked oddly uncomfortable with the fact that his character was possibly the killer, which Viktor found quite amusing, and he couldn't lie, rather endearing. He also couldn't resist commenting on it.

"You seem a bit concerned that Professor Plum is at fault, Yuuri." He smiled.

Yuuri seemed a bit startled… he must have been zoned out. "Huh? Oh… I guess so."

"It's a bit adorable, I have to say." Oh, he _really_ couldn't resist.

He'd been trying to say something for the past week but, for some reason, kept himself in check. After all, he knew it would make Yuuri uncomfortable, but the look on his face, with his cheeks dyed pink, was priceless. And, also, somehow more adorable.

Viktor noticed a held back chuckle from Phichit as he elbowed Yuuri as subtly as he could. He didn't want to over-analyze as he always did, but there was no way that couldn't be a good sign.

"Move your piece already!" Mila complained as Yuuri slumped back further into his seat. _Really?_ Viktor thought, _He's barely talked the entire game. It seemed like this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know him more, and then he just keeps quiet? It's going to take more than just a casual board game to get to know him more, is it?_

Viktor's player piece reached the kitchen, reminding him of something rather stupid- he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast, nearly fifteen hours before. He'd skipped lunch to work more on the skating routine (he was _very_ invested on surprising Yuuri), and his stomach wasn't taking it too well.

"I think I'll go get a snack from my dorm real quick. Would anyone like to join me?" He asked, standing up.

Georgi gave a small mumble, "You really like being unpredictable, huh?" Viktor decided to ignore it, and instead walked over to the door. He turned back quickly in the doorway.

"Yuuri! Do you want to come along?" He tried to make his question seem nonchalant, when really he was internally begging for him to say yes.

Phichit pushed his friend out of the chair, not giving him much of a choice. "Oh- okay."

And down the hallway they went, Viktor determined to make sure that they had some kind of conversation this time.

"Seeing that we're partners, I believe we need to get to know each other more. I'm sure that there's plenty of things I don't know about you, and things that you don't know about me." He said, hoping that Yuuri would get into the conversation as much as he would.

"Uh… okay. What do you want to know?" Well, that wasn't too hard.

Viktor thought for a moment. What could he say to get Yuuri to really open up? _The more personal, the better, right?_

"Do you have a girlfriend?" He asked a bit eagerly.

Yuuri didn't seem freaked out, something a bit surprising. Instead he just looked downcast, and mumbled, "No."

"Any ex-girlfriends?"

"N-no comment." _Now_ Yuuri was acting differently. He looked up to Viktor, concerned. _Okay, I'm getting somewhere… Maybe I should balance it out?_

"Okay, let's talk about me!" He said, rather loudly. "My first girlfriend was-"

Yuuri waved his hands in front of Viktor. "Stop!" He was definitely exasperated. Viktor sighed and kept walking casually, but still not hiding his disappointment. He figured it was a lost cause to try to salvage the conversation.

Finding the silence rather boring, he discreetly glanced down to Yuuri. He looked embarrassed with his face flushed. It didn't really occur to him that maybe he'd gone too far.

As he looked up, he realized they'd made it to his dorm. Taking out his keys, he announced, "We're here!"

He didn't notice that Yuuri became more flustered then than he was before.


End file.
